The Boy With The Blue Bow Tie
by thebeeisme
Summary: Kid!fic. Blaine is new at West Lima Elementary when he meets an amazing boy. Light, fluffy and the boys being their adorable selves, but as little kids. AU with some other characters too.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hi everyone, this is my new kid!fic that I will be continuing. I'm not sure how many chapters yet but I'll let you know when it's drawing to a close. There's a lot of ideas I'm working on for it, so it definitely won't be anytime soon. Thanks for your amazing reviews on my other stories, they make me very happy (so do continue ;) please?). **

**Also, this story is going to be AU (obviously), as there are characters whose subplots have changed (e.g. Quinn was never Lucy etc.) and some characters will not leave, others will be there to start with etc. etc. **

**Anyway! Enough of my rambles, read and review, hope you enjoy, all that jazz. :)**

**Love Bee. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or anything pertaining to it. Just this fic with its subplots and added characters. Sorry if I confused anyone...**

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><p>"Have you got your bag? Did you pack your lunch? You know where you're going? Are you sure? Oh honey, I'm gonna miss you so much!"<p>

"Mom I'll be fine, I'm sure, yes, yes and yes. I'll only be gone for a day! Now let go of me! Please?"

Seven year old Blaine Anderson was getting ready for his first day at his brand new school, West Lima Elementary. Currently, 'getting ready' was shoving his books into his already overstuffed school bag with one hand and battling off his mother's crushing embrace with the other.

"I know, I know. I just get so choked up because you're growing up so fast and-"

"Elle please, give the boy some space."

Blaine's father stood at the foot of the steps, camera in one hand and glass of half full whiskey in the other. Hugh Anderson loved to drink, everyone knew that, and occasionally this love would make itself known prior to eight o'clock on a weekday morning.

He gave Blaine a small smile, never one for emotional encounters.

"Ready to go, little man?"

"Yep Dad, all set!" Blaine allowed his mother to give him one last kiss on the cheek, then turned and smiled for a photo.

He had no idea that today was going to be one of the most important days of his life.

When Blaine arrived at school he was confronted by a whole range of sights and sounds he had never been exposed to before. They both terrified and entranced him, and above everything else he knew that this was going to be way better than his previous two years of home schooling.

He made his way up the steps, his little legs tripping over each other on some of the larger ones, until he reached the front building. Inside was a large hall, the auditorium he supposed, and hundreds of kids, all different ages and sizes, were packed in like sardines.

Blaine made his way over to some other kids who looked to be about his age. One was Asian and very tall, too tall for Blaine's liking, with a white cardigan and really cool hair. The other was African-American and shorter, but still not as short as Blaine. Blaine thought that no one would ever be as short as him, which made him feel sad but special at the same time.

Tentatively, he stopped next to them and shuffled his feet.

"Can I sit here?" he asked quietly.

"Sure," the dark skinned one said, "take a seat."

"I'm Blaine," Blaine said, sticking out his hand for them to shake.

The other boys looked at him funny, like he wasn't supposed to shake hands, but Blaine's father had taught him that shaking hands was just what you did when you met someone new.

"Hi," the Asian boy said, shaking his hand and smiling shyly, "I'm Mike. He's Matt. Mike and Matt, that's us."

Blaine liked Mike. He was nice, because he shook Blaine's hand, and even though he was really tall with one of those fancy cool-guy haircuts (which kind of scared Blaine a little), he seemed sort of shy and Blaine was sort of shy and maybe they could be shy together.

Mike and Matt started to talk amongst themselves, so Blaine decided to observe his surroundings. He noticed some even taller, even tougher looking guys sitting over in the far corner, and they looked like fifth or sixth graders. Blaine was going to stay away from them.

There was a small group of girls, about his own age, sitting not too far away from them. They were playing with each other's hair and occasionally one would stand up and show the others a dance move or twirl. Blaine wanted to go and play with them, because that looked like fun, but then a little blonde girl with a pretty skirt and equally pretty hair got her hair pulled by a cheeky looking Hispanic girl.

"Ouch Tannie, that hurt! Be more careful next time!" the blonde one yelled, turning around and glaring quite icily at the cheeky one.

"Sorry Quinnie-Pie, I will, I will," she sang back, rolling her eyes.

Maybe he wouldn't go and play there after all.

He was going to turn back around and see what the other boys were talking about; when he heard the prettiest sound he had ever heard in his entire (short) life.

Someone was laughing, and it wasn't just a normal 'haha that's funny' laugh. The sound was so carefree, musical and enticing, like the person who had laughed it had just been handed the whole world. When this person laughed, they laughed with their whole heart and soul too.

So Blaine just had to find the body it belonged to.

A little boy with gleaming chestnut hair and pale moonbeam-like skin sat just six feet away from Blaine. He was with an Asian and African-American set of friends too, but his were girls. He was laughing heartily at something the Asian one had said, thrashing about and giggling into his hands.

Blaine noticed his pale blue bow tie first. It stood out from his black jacket, white button up shirt and grey skinny jeans, which looked very smart. He also had those really cool shoes with pointy toes that Blaine had been trying to find a pair of for ages, but had yet to find some that fit him. He would have to ask the bow tie boy where he got his.

Right. Asking meant talking. And talking meant he would have to have an actual conversation with the really pretty boy, currently panting from laughing too much. Blaine didn't know why, but the thought of doing that made him feel all weird in his tummy, like there were butterflies or ping pong balls in there or something.

Before he could ask Mike who the boy with the blue bow tie was, a teacher with grey hair and glasses made her way to the front of the stage and quieted them all on the microphone.

"Welcome to the new school year, old and new students. I trust you've all had very eventful holidays, but now it's time to buckle down and get back into the swing of things. Work hard and it will pay off."

She continued with her speech, and though Blaine was usually a very attentive listener, he was still a little preoccupied with the amazing boy who had taken up residence in his head.

She finally finished and Blaine stuck with Mike and Matt as they walked through long, surprisingly clean hallways.

"We're in Mr Donovan's class, Blaine, what about you?" Matt asked.

"Miss Thompson," Blaine replied, heart sinking a bit, "So I guess I'll see you guys… at lunch?"

"We have soccer practice at lunch," Mike said apologetically, "but we might see you… um… some other time?"

"Yeah definitely! Nice meeting you anyway Blainers! Your classroom is right over there I think, bye!" Matt chimed in.

"Bye!" Blaine shouted at their retreating forms.

Soon he found himself outside a colourful classroom with Miss Thompson's name on the front door. The walls inside were lined with posters and drawings.

Most of the kids in Blaine's class had been in Miss Thompson's class for first grade too. Blaine felt worried. What if Miss Thompson was mean? What if the other kids didn't like him? What if he didn't fit in?

Blaine's fears instantly diminished when Miss Thompson entered the room. She was young and pretty, with raven black hair in a bob, huge pale blue eyes and rosy cheeks against her pale skin. She looked like the kind of teacher who would talk to you about anything, always be open to opinions and have actual interests and a life outside of school.

"Hello Tina, Jeremy, David! Nice to see you guys again! You all ready for the big second grade?" she asked some students cheerfully.

"Yes Miss!" they answered just as brightly.

When everyone was settled in, Miss Thompson called a role and started them on some crafts. Easy stuff, to get them back into focus, she had said. It was when Blaine had just started decorating his unicorn drawing with some silver glitter that he saw the boy with the blue bow tie across the room.

_He's in my class!_ Blaine thought. _This is so great; I'm going to be his best friend!_

But then, _what if he doesn't like me? What if I'm not good enough to be his friend? He's so pretty, and I bet he's smart too… maybe we don't like any of the same things… what if he doesn't like Harry Potter!_

Blaine wanted to hear his laugh again. It was a good laugh, and it lifted Blaine's spirits and made him feel like laughing too. Actually, Blaine wanted to hear him speak. He wondered what his voice would sound like, and then he wondered what his singing voice would sound like. Blaine loved to sing, he sang everywhere he went. His mom said it sounded lovely, but his dad got annoyed at him for doing it sometimes. Blaine couldn't help it, he just wanted to sing.

Soon enough, his inner monologue was heard by some unseen entity, and the boy sang. He had a high-pitched voice, even for a little kid, but it was flowing and gentle, like birdsong.

"No no 'Cedes, it goes like this! _I guess it's not funny, life is far from sunny-"_ he began beautifully.

"I know, I know, why are you so pushy when it comes to songs from musicals?" the African-American girl cut him off.

"Because Mercedes, it's Barbara! Funny Girl is a classic! Well that's what Mommy always says, and she loves Broadway, so she must be right."

The girl shrugged back at him, like he was probably right about his mother being right, and continued with her paper crane that the Asian girl (Tina, Miss Thompson had called her) was helping her with.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, and though Blaine sat alone at lunch, he didn't mind, because it gave him a chance to observe the school (and the bow tie boy) at a distance from everyone else. Sometimes, that was just the way Blaine liked it.

By the time he was trudging over to the park bench his mother had told him to wait for her at, he was exhausted from his first day of school. He examined the half undone laces on his shoes as he swung his legs back and forth over the edge of the bench, and didn't look up until he heard a tiny little cough from beside him.

There, sitting beside him in all his amazingness (Blaine was _sure_ that was a word), was the boy with the blue bow tie.

_Now or never_, Blaine though nervously.

"Hi!" Blaine said, a little too squeaky for his liking, "I'm Blaine Anderson! I'm in your class! I'm new!"

He stuck out his hand, too fast, and nearly over balanced off the bench.

The boy giggled daintily and shook Blaine's hand.

"My name is Kurt. Kurt Hummel. I saw you in class today. I liked your unicorn. You're really short… it's funny," he said with a blush and a giggle.

_Kurt. That must be the prettiest name in the world. _

It was silent for a little while, until Blaine blurted out, "I like your bow tie! It reminds me of the sky. Like when there's no clouds, and it's just blue. It's my favourite colour. Apart from red. Because red is like Gryffindor. And that's Harry Potter's house. And I love Harry Potter."

Kurt laughed again. "Thank you. I made it myself, actually. And I love Harry Potter too, but Ron's my favourite. Red hair is cool. I wish I had red hair."

_Wow, Kurt made that bow tie, all by himself? He's so smart…_

"I like your hair just like it is," Blaine said, before blushing heavily and making sure his shoelaces weren't going to fly away again.

"I like your hair too. It's all curly. It's really cute," now Kurt was blushing and staring at his feet.

_He thinks my hair is cute! Does this mean he wants to be friends?_

It seemed that Kurt was the entity reading Blaine's mind, as they quickly asked in unison:

"Wanna sit together in class tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"I'd like that."

They smiled and talked and Blaine got to hear Kurt's amazing laugh some more before his mom pulled up and waved him over.

"See you tomorrow Blainers!" Kurt called over to him.

It seemed that this would be his new nickname at this new school, and if Kurt was the one enforcing this new nickname, that was okay with Blaine.

"Bye Kurty," Blaine called back with a cheeky grin.

That night, as Blaine drifted off to sleep, it was to images of blushing chestnut haired boys and the sounds of the prettiest laugh he'd ever heard.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed! Criticisms are always welcome, negative or positive, constructive or simply a thumbs up or down, I'd love to hear them. <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Blaine awoke to a pounding on his chest and heavy breathing in his face.

"Blainey. Blainey. BLAINEY. WAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!"

"Hayley get off me! I don't like you anymore."

Blaine's six year old sister sat on the edge of Blaine's bed, legs crossed and puppy dog eyes in full bloom. Her dark brown hair fell in ringlets over her shoulders and her frog pyjamas seemed to mock Blaine with their brightness at this hour in the morning. He could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

"Really?" she asked in a small, sad voice.

Hayley, like most younger siblings, absolutely adored Blaine to pieces. She looked up to him for everything and copied his every move, much to the annoyance of Blaine. If Blaine told her to jump off a cliff, she would probably do it, which was why she should definitely NEVER wake him up early ever again.

Blaine sighed, "No, of course I love you. 'M just tired, ya knucklehead."

He pulled the covers back over his head and groaned, settling deeper into the warm, toasty mattress.

"But Blainey-"

"Go away."

"Blaine-"

"Hayley, I said get out of my room."

"ButBlaineyit'syourbirthday!"

_Hang on. What? It's… but… oh right it's been another whole year. Doesn't feel like it. But that means I'm eight! Oh wow. Okay. I guess I should… uh…_

"Blaine?" Hayley prodded the unmoving lump of sheets in front of her.

Blaine was jarred out of his thought processes with a sharp poke in the eye, before he leaped out of bed, grabbed Hayley's hand and took off down the stairs.

"Mom! Dad! It's my birthday! Isn't it?" he reached the kitchen counter where his parents were sat, drinking coffee and reading the news on their respective laptops.

They looked tired, but both turned and smiled warmly at Blaine and Hayley as they bounced excitedly on the balls of their feet before them.

"Of course it is sweetie! Happy birthday, my little Blainey boy," Blaine's mother got down from her bar stool and wrapped Blaine in a hug.

"Happy birthday, son," Blaine's dad said, somewhat gruffly, ruffling his hair.

"So where are my presents?" Blaine looked around excitedly, forgetting his impeccable manners for a few seconds.

Elle and Hugh led their children over to the living room, where they sat them on the couch and handed Hayley a blindfold.

"Put this on your brother," Blaine's mom said, before disappearing upstairs.

Blaine wriggled impatiently as Hayley's cold little hands did the blindfold up around the back of his head, then stood stock still as Hayley gasped and something was placed in his lap. Something _moving_.

"You can take it off now Blainey," she said.

When Blaine took the blindfold off he saw the most adorable thing he had ever seen in his entire life. And that was saying something because Blaine thought just about everything was adorable.

A little chocolate coloured, curly haired puppy sat neatly on Blaine's lap, staring up at him with shining eyes and a wagging tail. Blaine immediately enveloped the small creature in a hug, but not too tight, he didn't want to hurt it.

"He's a Maltese/Toy Poodle cross," Elle said, gently petting the dog on the head, "isn't he just the cutest thing?"

"Whatcha gonna name him, Blainey?" Hayley enquired, staring up at her brother similarly to the puppy.

"Olive," Blaine said, "His name is Olive. Gah, he's just so cuuuuuuuuuute!"

Blaine played with his new puppy all morning, petting him and brushing him and continually asking his mom when it was time to give him a bath. He didn't know why, but he'd always been obsessed with the idea of giving a dog a bath.

After lunch, Hugh took Blaine away from a very worn out Olive, whom Hayley readily pounced upon, declaring "When I'm through with you, you're gonna be the prettiest puppy in all of Ohio!"

"Blaine, I want you to know that I'm real proud of you," Blaine's father began, smiling the biggest smile Blaine had ever seen, "you've been a great kid this past year, a good brother to Hayley and a good student too. I know it must've been hard fitting in at a brand new school, and I'm sorry we didn't send you sooner. I also know that I didn't let you have a birthday party this year, because your mom and I have been so busy with work, but I decided to call a few friends of yours to come over later, I just hope I called the ones you wanted… anyway, what I'm trying to say is, I love you Blaine, and I want you to have this, just from me, today."

Blaine was so shocked at how understanding his dad was being, that he almost didn't notice the football with the bright red ribbon on it being handed to him.

"I know you like the game, 'cause we watch it together, and you always comment on how fun it looks, chasing the ball around all the time," he chuckled, "you know kid, sometimes I think YOU'RE the puppy in this family."

Blaine giggled and took the football graciously. He didn't have the heart to tell his father that the only reason he liked watching football was because he got to spend more time with him. In fact, it was the only time he could spend with his dad.

"So… what time are my friends coming?" Blaine had to ask.

"2 o' clock, so go get ready sport."

Blaine raced as fast as he could back upstairs to get changed, dragging a bewildered, nail polished Olive with him.

By 2:30 that afternoon, Blaine was sitting in a circle comprised of himself, Kurt, Mike, Matt, Mercedes, Tina, Santana Lopez, Brittany Pierce, Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry.

Kurt had been his absolute best friend ever since the day they met. They had faced up to bullies together, had play-dates every afternoon and a sleepover every weekend (when they were allowed) and shared all their secrets. Blaine remembers their first fight too, like it was yesterday.

"_Kurt! You're not wearing your blue bow tie."_

_Blaine had been flabbergasted when on Monday, the second week of school; Kurt had shown up in a dark green bow tie, rather than his usual pale blue. _

"_Yes Blaine, I wear a new one every week. You didn't think I would just wear it forever, did you silly?"_

_Blaine was very sad that whole day. He didn't speak to Kurt at all after that, or sit with him in class or at lunch, and by the time the bell rang and Kurt met him at their usual park bench after school, he had tears streaming down his face. _

"_Blainers? What's wrong?" Kurt scooted closer to him and put his arm around Blaine's shoulders. _

"_You didn't wear the bow tie I like. And I didn't talk to you all day. I can't go without you for a whole day Kurt, you're my best friend, you're not 'spose to do that… and you called me silly."_

_Kurt pulled Blaine into a tight hug and let him cry all over his new jacket. _

"_I'm sorry. I won't do that again. But I don't wanna wear that bow tie all over again. Tell you what, because that's my 'special' bow tie now, I'll wear it for every special day I ever have. Ever. Okay?"_

_Kurt nudged Blaine's chin to look him in the eye, Blaine's hazel ones all shiny and wet._

"_Okay," he said with a half-smile. _

_Kurt giggled at Blaine's 'kicked puppy' expression and hugged him again, because Blaine was his best friend, it was true, plus he was soft._

_By the time Tuesday came around, they were even closer._

Blaine was excited to see that Kurt had worn his blue bow tie today, classing his birthday as a special day. He had told Kurt that when he hugged him hello at the front door. Kurt had just laughed and said "Of course. Every birthday is a very special day, especially Blainers'."

Mike, Matt, Mercedes and Tina were all good friends of Blaine's too, the girls probably more so. Santana and Brittany were the other pair of best friends in the class besides him and Kurt, and Brittany was nice and made Blaine laugh with all the funny things she said, but Santana scared Blaine a little. But then, she liked Brittany a whole lot, and Brittany liked Tana too, so she must be okay.

Finn was a really tall kid, even taller than Mike, and much taller than Kurt, even though Kurt had just had his growth spurt and was getting tall. Too tall, Blaine feared. He played soccer and Little League football with Mike and Matt, and he was actually really nice. He helped Blaine out a lot, especially when he couldn't reach stuff that was up high.

Rachel was the last person Blaine's dad had invited, and Blaine didn't really know why, since he didn't talk about her that much. She was very shy and quiet, and usually just sat at the back of the class reading books for big kids that looked really hard and humming.

"So let's play truth or dare then," Santana said, "Kurt you first."

"Okay… uh… Blaine! Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." Blaine had heard about the dares people were made to do in this game, and he didn't want to get in trouble.

"Okay, what is the craziest thing you've ever done. Like, most embarrassing."

Blaine detailed a time when he had thrown up after Space Mountain at Disneyland when he was five, then there were a few more dares and truths, including a dare where Brittany had to kiss Mercedes on the cheek and one where Rachel and Kurt had to hold hands for the rest of the round.

They had cake and other party food, until one by one Blaine's guests began to trickle out the front door, wishing him a happy birthday and telling him how much fun they'd had. Finn hugged a blushing Rachel goodbye, they had become quite good friends over the course of the afternoon, and Brittany and Santana left together shortly after Mike, Matt and Mercedes, pinkies intertwined.

Tina, Rachel and Kurt were the only ones left, and Kurt had gotten permission to sleep over. They decided to open Blaine's presents, which included a hairbrush from Brittany, chopsticks from Mike and a pale pink bow tie from Kurt.

"If I have a special bow tie, it's only fair that I make you one too. It's like a special kind of friendship bracelet, just for us," he had said.

Pink was Blaine's favourite colour, and even if the other kids said it was too girly or weird, Kurt thought it suited him.

Tina left after the present opening, and Rachel, Kurt and Blaine went outside to play spotlight. They ended up on their backs in the grass, staring up at the stars and giggling, a little out of breath from their previous game of chasey.

"I really like you guys," Rachel told the boys, lying in the middle with one hand from each boy in her tight little ones.

"You're not mean to me, and you said my dress was pretty. I like this dress. But not as much as I like you guys. Let's be friends forever, okay? Hey! Let's sing."

So the three of them sang and sang until Rachel's dad came to pick her up, waving as hard as their wrists could handle.

That night, Blaine lay in his single bed with Kurt pressed up against his side, mattress on the floor forgotten. He was scared of what might have been under Blaine's bed from down there, besides, Blaine's bed was much warmer and safer and it was easier to talk.

"Did you know Rachel has two dads?" Kurt asked suddenly, stretching his neck up to look at Blaine, "I didn't know that could even happen."

"Really? Like, they're married and everything? But doesn't she need a mom…" Blaine knew where babies came from, he wasn't a silly toddler anymore.

"I guess so. So I guess that means that two dads can be in love, and two moms and a mom and a dad, like with us. What do you think?"

"Well if they love each other, they love each other, right? I don't think it really matters."

"Hm."

The boys lay in silence, contemplating this new piece of information, before drifting off into a blissful sleep, warm and safe together.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey everyone, wow, this took so long to start/finish/upload and I am immensely sorry for that. **

**I'm also sorry if I got any of the school-grade-name-things wrong, I'm Australian so I really have no clue (apart from what I see in TV and movies and books) about the American schooling system. **

**I am very much liking your reviews and all the alert/favourite emails I've been getting, keep them coming because they make me super happy.**

**If anyone wants more of a visual on Miss Thompson, in my head she kinda looks like Zooey Deschanel, so yeah. I also have further plans for her in the story, so I'm sorry for the kinda craptastic ending to this chapter but it had to be that way (not giving away any more hints).**

**Annnnnnd I've been working on some more oneshots, including one from the newly named Sugar Cookie 'verse, in case anyone is interested in that, and some ahem-smut-ahem, but I'm not sure when (if ever) they will be uploaded.**

**Okay, enough of my nonsensical rambles, I hope you enjoy this chapter and reviews would be just the greatest thing in the whole world. **

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><p>Blaine held his mom and dad's hands, one on either side of him, as he walked up the front steps of the school he now knew very well. Almost another year at West Lima had passed, and third grade was nearly coming to a close. This meant parent teacher interviews. This also meant that because Blaine was one of the best students in the lower grades, the school board had offered for him to skip fourth grade and go straight to fifth.<p>

Blaine had contemplated the choice, because as everyone had said, it was his choice. But to be honest, Blaine was scared. He didn't want to leave behind all his friends. He didn't even want to leave Miss Thompson, who he had been lucky to have as his teacher both years he had been at the school, but that was inevitable either way. Blaine liked change as much as the next guy, but he just wasn't ready for this one.

His parents were already telling him to do all his homework and be smart and a good student. That would just get even more overbearing if he skipped a grade. And what about Kurt, Tina, Mercedes, Rachel, Finn; all his friends? Would they want to hang out with him if he was in with the bigger kids? Would they think he was weird or mean for leaving them? And what about the bigger kids themselves? Blaine had heard some sixth graders calling another younger kid, Jacob, names the other day. Things like nerd and wimp and some even meaner ones that Blaine didn't even know the meaning of. Would they be like that to him?

So many questions were still going through Blaine's head when he crossed the threshold of the main doors. He spotted Tina and Mike, whose parents were talking very fast in a language Blaine didn't understand, over by their classroom.

"This way Mom, Dad," he said, tugging them by the wrists over to his friends.

The adults began to talk as Blaine asked Tina what her and Mike's parents had been saying.

"Oh, they were speaking Mandarin so I don't really know. I was never good at learning it but I know some. Mike knows more than me," Tina said, smiling at the other boy.

"I wasn't paying attention," Mike said sheepishly, "hey Blaine, is that your Mom? She's Asian too? You never told me that."

Blaine looked up to where his Mom was in a deep discussion with Mike's Mom. He heard words like 'clever' and 'opportunity' and knew there were talking about his grade skip, which made even more butterflies scatter about in his tummy.

"Uh yeah, she's half Filipino. My grandparents are. Filipino that is. I guess it just never crossed my mind before."

The three talked about Mike's soccer game and Tina's flute recital that had just passed that weekend as the cool Sunday breeze drifted in from open classroom windows. It was a clear, starless August night and Blaine wanted nothing more than to just forget about stupid school and stupid parent teacher conferences and just run about in the slightly too-long grass outside.

Then he saw a familiar head of chestnut-ginger hair and pale skin enter the corridor and his face lit up into a big grin.

"KURT!" he yelled, running at his best friend and flinging himself at him full force, nearly toppling the taller, ganglier boy over.

Kurt laughed and squeezed Blaine around his middle, "Hi Blainers," he said happily.

"Hey kiddo," said a gruff voice from way above Blaine's head.

Blaine let go of Kurt, though Kurt still had one arm wrapped around his waist, and looked up at Burt Hummel with shining puppy-dog eyes.

Blaine loved Burt. He was so tough and big and strong and so unlike Kurt, but at the same time so kind-hearted and smiling and happy and so like Kurt. Sometimes, it confused Blaine, but he need only look at Kurt's Mom to see the link. Kurt's Mom Elizabeth was the most beautiful lady in the whole world. Sometimes Blaine felt bad saying that, even if it was just between him and Kurt, because he SHOULD think that HIS mom was the most beautiful lady in the whole world, and she was. But there was just _something_ about Elizabeth Hummel that everyone loved.

Blaine though that if Kurt was a lady (and that made him giggle 'cause how weird would that be) he would look just like his Mom. She had ginger-gold hair that fell in thick waves down to the small of her back, pale jade green eyes the same shape and transparency as Kurt's but different colour, and flawless skin slightly darker than Kurt's. She was always dressed perfectly, and Kurt said that was because she made nearly all her own clothes (Kurt helped too). But most importantly, she was the sweetest, most compassionate and most understanding person Blaine had ever met. Elizabeth was there when Blaine hurt his knee at the park and his house was too far away. She was there when one of the older kids took his toy car at his and Kurt's bench after school. She helped them play tea parties and dress ups and never shook her head with disdain or frowned like any of the other parents. She _ALWAYS_ listened to what _Blaine_ had to say.

With the most perfect parents in the world, maybe that was why Kurt was so amazing.

"Hi Burt, hi Lizzy," Blaine said, eyes still shining, from his place in their son's arms.

"Hello Blaine! How's my favourite boy?" said Elizabeth, ruffling Blaine's hair (gracefully, because everything Elizabeth did was graceful) and smiling like an angel.

"Mom!" Kurt exclaimed, pouting.

"_Second _favourite boy."

"Liz!" Burt smirked.

"Oh hush you two."

Blaine giggled, "I'm good Lizzy, how are you?"

"Just lovely Blainers."

The family-plus-Blaine was interrupted by a jumping Tina, "We're going into the classroom to listen to Miss Thompson for a while now!" she squeaked, before jumping away.

"Why is she jumping?" Kurt asked Blaine.

"I don't know… wanna jump too?"

"Sure!"

So they jumped all the way back down the corridor to their third and once second grade classroom, the Hummels trailing behind and laughing at the two exuberant boys.

Miss Thompson ushered everyone in out of the cold, greeting Kurt and Blaine with a quick 'Hey dudes!" on the way past.

Miss Thompson began her speech about the past year to the assembled parents and guardians and the children quickly zoned out. Blaine tried to be attentive, it was good manners to listen to someone when they were speaking, but he was distracted by a tugging on his blazer collar. He looked down to see Kurt pulling at it and inspecting it, little pink tongue poking out from between his lips.

"Where did you get this?" Kurt asked, still in fashion mode, "It looks designer."

"My grandparents gave it to me for Christmas last year and it still fit so Mom made me wear it tonight. It's itchy."

"It's pretty," Kurt sighed, "if you don't want it, can I have it?"

"I suppose," Blaine whisper-laughed.

Kurt was funny when he saw what he called 'les choses brillantes' (it was French for shiny things. If there's one thing Kurt loved more than shiny things, it was French). He was like a cute, curious, inquisitive kitty-cat. Blaine loved it when Kurt was like that.

Soon it was time for the individual conferences, and Blaine, Kurt, Finn, Quinn and Rachel sat outside together on the steps. They felt rebellious being outside all by themselves like this. Well, Blaine did anyway. He'd never done anything rebellious in his entire life, so yeah, he thought he was pretty cool. So he decided to be even cooler and show off to his friends by walking along the edge of the water pipe attached to the wall, near the steps. It was pretty high up, but despite Rachel's words of "No Blaine! You'll get us in trouble or hurt yourself or something! Blaine get _down_!" he clambered on up anyway.

Finn and Quinn cheered and clapped excitedly as Blaine got further and further and higher and higher, while Rachel had her hands over her eyes and Kurt just looked on amusedly. Blaine was doing pretty well, not even worrying about how he was going to get down yet. That is, until he saw a tiny black spider on the wall in front of his hand. Blaine hated spiders. They were scary. So Blaine panicked and cried out, and then he was slipping and falling and falling and then he was in the forget-me-not bush outside the classroom window. His back and shoulder hurt a little, but apart from that, he was fine.

He heard shouts and hurried footsteps coming towards him and then Kurt's face was right in front of his and the look on it was just so concerned and shocked and hilarious that Blaine had to laugh. And soon Kurt was laughing too. And then everyone was laughing, until even Rachel was peering over Finn's shoulder with a little smile on her nervous face.

"S-spider," Blaine choked out as Kurt and Finn pulled him up, which made everyone laugh even harder.

"Oh Blainers, whatever will we do with you," Quinn smiled.

In next to no time, Kurt and Blaine were the last ones sitting on the steps. Kurt was fiddling with the friendship bracelet Blaine had made him for his eighth birthday. This meant that Kurt was deep in thought about something.

"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?" Blaine asked, bumping their shoulders together.

"Nothing… well, not nothing. Um…" Kurt began, Blaine just stared at him openly, "well. I was walking around the park by myself the other day when you couldn't come play and I walked over behind this tree and Tannie and one of the older boys were kissing. It was really weird. Sometimes I forget that Santana's a year older, but still she's so young. Why were they kissing? Aren't only grownups meant to kiss? Or are we meant to kiss too? Like us kids? Sometimes the high schoolers are kissing AND touching each other at the bus stops and stuff. Does that mean we have to? Am I weird because I-I don't want t-to?"

Blaine processed what Kurt had just told him before speaking.

"I don't think it really matters. I guess if you wanted to you could, but just 'cause you don't, doesn't make you weird. I don't really wanna either. I mean, we're only eight. And girls are gross. They have cooties and stuff… I think. That's what Finn said…" he trailed off.

"I'm pretty sure that's just a lie, Blaine," Kurt supplied helpfully.

"Oh. Well. Anyway, I'm not gonna kiss anyone 'til I know for sure that I love them. 'Cause you're only meant to kiss the people you love. You can't just kiss anyone, that really is gross."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence.

"Thanks Blaine."

Blaine looked over to find Kurt's head on his shoulder and his little hand in his own.

"For what?"

"For not thinking I'm weird."

"I could never think you're weird Kurt. Never ever. You're my best friend. Forever."

Blaine rested his head on top of Kurt's and squeezed his hand.

"Boys?" Elizabeth's voice called softly from the main door, "Kurt, we have to go home now."

Kurt and Blaine pulled apart and stood up reluctantly.

"Bye Blainey," Elizabeth said, bending down to hug the small, somewhat sleepy boy.

"Bye Liz. Are you guys coming to dinner at my house this week? Mom said you should so that you and her can talk about skirt patterns. She said 'cause you make the best ones and then you could teach her or when Kurt comes over you could just send him with some stuff or whatev-" Blaine hugged Elizabeth tighter and rambled, trailing off as he caught sight of Kurt making funny faces at him behind his mother's back.

Blaine stuck his tongue out at Kurt and let go, laughing, before pulling his friend into a goodbye hug too.

"I'm sure we'd all love to come to dinner, wouldn't we little man? We'll just have to check Burt's schedule at the shop," Liz ruffled Kurt's hair and Kurt preened under the affection.

Not long after, Burt trudged down the steps, shook Blaine's hand by way of farewell, and the Hummels departed, Blaine staying on the steps for a while to wave at them as they disappeared in their big black car around the corner.

By the time Blaine got back inside the classroom, his parents' interview with Miss Thompson was nearly over, and being the last one, no one else was anywhere in sight.

"Blaine Anderson, where have you been?" his mother reprimanded him as Hugh fixed his tie and Miss Thompson winked at Blaine secretively from behind the desk.

"Saying goodbye to Kurt and stuff. I fell into the flower bush, sorry if I hurt any of the flowers, I'll grow them back if you want Miss."

Blaine's parents brushed off his strange explanation, Miss Thompson replying with a giggle and a quick "I'm sure the flowers will be just fine Blaine."

"Blaine, your teacher was just telling us what a model student you've been for the past two years. That's very impressive kiddo," Hugh cleared his throat, "so Miss Thompson-"

"Oh call me Kate, please."

"Kate, what are your thoughts on the matter of skipping grade four straight to grade five?"

There it was. The ominous grade skip. The butterflies came back and Blaine felt like he was going to be sick.

Miss Thompson looked at Blaine carefully before speaking directly to Mr and Mrs Anderson.

"Well, I personally would not be opposed to it at all. I'm fairly certain Blaine would handle the curriculum just as easily, and I'm sure we could find him a nice class with a good teacher and a few new friends for him too," here she paused and looked back at Blaine, "but really, if I may, I think it's all up to Blaine and whether he wants to."

Blaine looked up from scuffing his shoes on the ground when he heard his name. He saw three faces staring down at him, his father's one of anticipation, mother's one of interest and Miss Thompson's just with a warm smile and the same shining eyes Blaine had when he was nice to someone.

"What do you say son?" Mr Anderson asked seriously, "Do you want to move up and advance, or stay with the… rest, of the children."

Blaine didn't like the way his dad was talking about his friends and the other kids in his grade. He was talking about them like Blaine was better, superior to all of them, when in reality, Blaine knew that Kurt and Rachel and most of his friends were just as smart, if not smarter than him.

"Well… if, if it's okay with everyone…" Blaine started, "I've thought about it a lot too so… I'd really like to stay with everyone. And not skip. If that's okay?"

Miss Thompson was still smiling, just slightly more anxiously than before, and looking to Blaine's parents. Elle looked almost relieved, or maybe just happy that her son was capable of making such a big decision on his own. But there was something funny about the way Blaine's father looked down at the end of his son's sentence. Like he was disappointed in him. Blaine was almost used to that look, and he didn't like it one bit. It also seemed to be getting more frequently directed at him as the years went on.

"Of course it's okay honey," Elle broke the faintly strained silence, "we only want what will make you happy. Isn't that right, Hugh dear?" She sent him a pointed stare.

"Yes yes of course." Mr Anderson was busy fixing his tie and not making eye contact with anyone again.

"Well if that's all settled, I'll send over the book list and name of his new teacher and the people in his class in a few weeks. Can you just confirm your email here for me…"

Blaine's mom told him to go get her handbag and his blazer from over by the door, and then to go and wait in the car. There was just one more thing he needed to do before he left.

Blaine waited until his parents were busy signing forms to tap his teacher on the shoulder, ignoring her surprised expression when she turned to face him.

"Thanks Miss Thompson," Blaine said into her shoulder after flinging his arms around her neck.

She laughed softly and whispered into his curls, "No problem Blainers. Anytime you need someone to talk to, or anything like that, you can come to me 'kay? Always."

Blaine nodded and let go, blushing a little.

"Come along Blaine. Thank you for your time Kate."

As he skipped out into the night after his mom and dad, Blaine felt a lot happier and a lot less weighed down than he had in a while. And he knew that if he did need to, he would take Miss Thompson up on her offer.


End file.
